Where else can I go?

What they said about Newham "The young people I speak to have high expectations of the Olympic legacy. They see the games as a stepping stone to changing their lives for the better," Ali Mohamed, young mayor of Newham. "Nowhere else in the UK is undergoing transformation on the scale of Newham," Sir Robin Wales, mayor of Newham.

Population Borough: 241,200 to 263,400.

Local politics Newham council is Labour-controlled with an elected mayor.

Local authority The council "performs well" and its priorities reflect those of its partners, and there is a good joint approach to meeting objectives and targets. It has a "strong" record of good communication with residents. It has exceeded targets for providing affordable homes, but needs to do more on street cleanliness, waste management and environmental sustainability. There is "strong" political and managerial leadership. The council uses its resources well, but it needs to do more on managing natural resources. Children's and adult social services are "performing well".

Job prospects A recruitment freeze has been in place since last year. About 200 town hall jobs may disappear in 2011-12.

Health service Newham general hospital is run by Newham university hospital NHS trust, which has a Care Quality Commission licence; East London NHS foundation trust, which runs Newham centre for mental health, has a CQC licence; as does Newham primary care trust.

Central government The probation service is in the borough.

Environment/regeneration Newham is one of the five London 2012 Olympic boroughs and is home to the main stadium. There is £15bn of regeneration happening around the Olympics, the London Gateway, and the Royal Docks, which is expected to create 62,000 jobs and boost the population by 131,000. The borough is in east London's 48 sq km green enterprise district, set up to attract low-carbon business and development.

Voluntary sector There are 175 international, 285 national and 336 local charities, with a combined income of £245m; 3,254 charitable trustees live there.

Commuter links The DLR is being extended across the borough, and a seven-minute shuttle service from St Pancras will bring Olympic visitors to Stratford's new international station. Excellent train and underground links. Roads: M11 (six miles); M25 (14 miles).